Business

Saturday May 2, 2009

J&J extends campaign to east Malaysia

By SHANNEN WONG


PARENTS more often than not overlook the power of infant massage.

Media agency Universal McCann, through its Effie Award-winning Touch campaign for Johnson & Johnson (J&J), has revived the mother-baby bonding moments by coaching mothers on the benefits of regular infant massage, says its chief executive officer Prashant Kumar.

“We are extending our infant massage workshops to east Malaysia this year after receiving good responses from mothers on the road shows that we organised last year (in Peninsular Malaysia),” he tells StarBizWeek.

Last year, the agency organised a roadshow with the theme Discover the magic of your own touch in seven major cities across Peninsular Malaysia where infant massage training was given to over 1,480 mothers.

The general perception of the act of infant massage is “it is neither difficult nor easy”. Yet many young mothers do not know about the benefits of regularly massaging their babies.

Universal McCann, along with Johnson & Johnson, has been quick to turn this opportunity to their advantage.

The agency has initiated the Touch campaign to promote the practice and benefits of regular infant massage with Johnson’s Baby Oil.

J&J marketing director Stanford Guo says the Touch campaign was initially targeted at healthcare professionals. “Nurses and healthcare professionals were given the training to right infant massage techniques as they are the first group to take care of the babies,” he says.

In 2007, J&J believed that it was the right time to reach out to the mass audience.

To better engage mothers and mothers-to-be, Universal McCann has identified peer-to-peer testimonials as the most effective way to promote its Touch campaign.

“When you are a mother, there is no one you would trust more than a mother,” says Prashant.

The main objective of the Touch campaign is to create a platform where mothers could be given the guidance on the right techniques of infant massage.

“We have organised infant massage forums for mothers to join others to learn the right infant massage techniques from nurses in person,” says Prashant.

“Participants are pre-dominantly ladies but many enthusiastic fathers have also joined in.”

He says the agency has developed a step-by-step massage outlines and diagrams to make it easier for parents to follow.

To generate even greater awareness, Universal McCann has utilised advertising mediums such as TV and print, particularly in parenting magazines and sections of the newspapers, to reach out to a wider audience.

The agency creatively used display stands and shelf visions of modern trade outlets as another option to amplify the effect of its campaign.

“We further snowballed the campaign with print editorials on infant massage and talk shows in leading newspaper and magazines,” says Prashant.

With mothers wanting only the best for their babies, Universal McCann has engaged the professionals in roadshows to convince and advise mothers on the practice and benefits of regular infant massage as part of its Touch campaign.

Based on a study established by Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami’s School of Medicine in 1992, gentle massage can facilitate weight gain of up to 47% for babies as well as increasing bone mass by 15%.

It would also enhance the babies’ attentiveness and help build overall self-confidence.

When asked on its biggest hurdle in implementing the campaign, Prashant says it is quite a challenge to persuade mothers to take time out from their busy schedules to attend the workshops at first.

“It is even a greater challenge to ask them to keep practising infant massage after the workshop,” he says.

However, the agency is proud to say that mothers are becoming more aware of the benefits of regular infant massage now compared to previously.

“We find that mothers now are more prone to practising regular infant massage after apprehending the know-how and right techniques,” says Prashant.

Following the Touch campaign, there was an increase in incidences of infant massage to 56% in 2007 from 48% in 2003. The campaign also improved the trial and penetration of baby oil category to 82% in 2007 from 66% four years earlier.

As the Touch campaign progresses, Universal McCann will constantly fine-tune its strategies in order to create a better brand equity for Johnson’s Baby Oil.

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